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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Guest Blogger: Wine, Garlic & Herb Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

***I promised guest bloggers and here they are!  Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Andrea the Kitchen Witch!  Andrea brings you an amazing kabob recipe...and guess what, she of course grilled them!!! YES!!!  So now it should feel like I'm not even gone!  Enjoy!***
 
Hi, I'm Andrea the Kitchen Witch, a guest blogger for Jenn.  I am honored and humbled to fill in for Jenn while she's on vacation.  I'm a self taught cook who uses as few processed goods as possible.  I have a no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) or PHO's (partially hydrogenated oils, aka trans fats) kitchen, so anything that comes out of my kitchen has 3 guarantees:
  1. No HFCS
  2. No trans fats
  3. It will be delicious!
I hope you enjoy the recipe and take a moment to look at my blog.  If you like what you see, please click on FOLLOW or 'LIKE' Andrea the Kitchen Witch on facebook.  Thank you!

Wine herb chicken is a staple in the Kitchen Witch household.  Everyone loves it, including the 3 year old Little Witch.  Its fancy enough to serve to guests yet quick and easy enough for weeknights.  The flavors in the marinade enhance the chickens delicate flavor, taking it to a whole new level.  Using fresh herbs is preferred, especially now in the summer when they're readily available.  Sage, thyme, oregano and chives are very prolific in my garden this year, therefore they make themselves known at the dinner table often.  The herbal flavor is complimented by the white wine, garlic adds its own perfume and makes everything happy.


The vegetables I've used represent the best of what my garden and the farmers market had to offer.  Grilling the onions, peppers and zucchini really brings out the natural sweetness of the fresh veggies.  I also like the bright colors they bring to the plate, as well as all the nutrition they have to offer.  Kabobs are usually made around here when we've got a lot of 'use up' things, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/2 an onion, a handful of mushrooms, wrinkly cherry tomatoes, etc..  After slicing the veg I like to toss it with oil and season with kosher salt & pepper.  Its a lot easier to do this before they're on skewers than it is after.

I've shown this grilled on a charcoal grill.  Gas is fine too.  Not a griller?  That's ok, you can pan sautee the chicken.  You may, however, wish to leave the thighs whole if you chose to pan saute it.  And if you do cook it indoors, please be sure to deglaze the cooking pan with 1/2 c white wine, reduce it by half then add 2T butter.  Swirl the butter in and enjoy one of the best pan sauces ever.  Anyway you cook it, this recipe is sure to please!

Wine, garlic & herb chicken and veggie kabobs

Recipe created by Andrea the Kitchen Witch

Printable Recipe
makes 4 servings
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 c white wine
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 handful fresh herbs - 4 sprigs each thyme & oregano, 8 sage leaves, about 15 chive stems
1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/2 each red bell pepper, green bell pepper and onion
1 medium size zucchini, sliced into 1 inch thick rounds
oil for drizzle
extra salt & pepper for seasoning veggies
about 8 bamboo skewers soaked for 30 min prior to skewering

In a zip top bag mix the white wine, olive oil, herbs finely minced, garlic, 1/2 t salt & pepper.  Mix well to incorporate. 

Slice chicken thin against the grain, about 1/2 inch thick.  Put chicken into the marinade making sure all pieces are evenly coated in the liquid.  Allow to marinate for 2-4 hours. 

30 minutes before the grill is ready, soak the bamboo skewers in hot water.  This will help them from burning as quickly on the grill. 

Slice veggies into skewerable sizes, about 1 inch approx.  Toss the veggies with a drizzle of oil, kosher salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly. 

Skewer chicken onto skewers, approximately 2 oz per skewer

Skewer the veggies separately, anchoring the bottom and top with zucchini rounds. 

Grill kabobs until chicken is browned and cooked through and veggies have nice color from the grill.  Enjoy with rice.


Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 172.6
Total Fat: 6.4g
Saturated fat: 1.4g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.3g
Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g
Cholesterol: 85.9mg
Sodium: 673.6mg
Potassium: 450.3mg
Total Carbohydrates: 5.8g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4g
Sugars: 2.0g
Protein: 21.2g

6 comments:

Cranberry Morning said...

This looks great. I've gotta do this. I even bought the package of skewers last summer and haven't used them yet! Thanks for the nudge. :-)

StephenC said...

Having finally braved my stovetop grill the other day with chicken drumsticks, I should be ready for skewers. Actually they'd be easier and faster I think. Thanks for the idea.

Yenta Mary said...

Those are gorgeous, and a worthy tribute to Jenn while she's on vacation and her grill is going into withdrawal without her ... :)

Ma What's 4 dinner said...

Mmmmm, delish. Those look like the perfect dinner.

Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner
www.mawhats4dinner.com

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Gorgeous recipe and pics! Nice guest post, Andrea!

SnoWhite said...

you're making me hungry -- these look delicious!